Shikharji (शिखरजी), also known as the Parasnath Hill, located in Giridih district in Jharkhand, India, is a major Jain pilgrimage destination and considered one of the most sacred place for Jains in the world. According to Jainism, following 20 out of 24 Tirthankaras attained Nirvana here. Parasnath Hill with a height of 1,350 metres (4,430 ft) make up the highest mountain in Jharkhand state.
This place is known as Sammed Śikhar or Sammet Shikhar, the ‘peak of concentration’, because 20 out of 24 Tirthankaras attained Nirvana here. They attained samadhi or meditative concentration here. It is more commonly and simply called Śikharji, ‘the venerable peak’. The hill is also known as Parasnath Hill, a name derived from Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara who attained Nirvana here.
The oldest reference to the hills as a holy place is found in the Jñātṛdhārmakātha, one of the twelve texts constituting the canonical core of Jain literature. There, the hills are described as the place where Mallinātha, the nineteenth Jina, attained samadhi or meditative concentration. The prominence of the Parasnāth hills as a pilgrimage place and their connection with Pārśvanātha can be traced to the medieval period when reference to them was made in the Pārśvanāthacarita, the biography of Pārśva written in 12th century. The development of the hills was probably prompted by the popularity of Vulture Peak in Bihār, the holy mountain connected with the Buddha where his disciple Sariputra and others are considered to have attained enlightenment.
Following 20 out of 24 Tirthankara's attained Nirvana here.[2] There is a shrine dedicated to each of them on hill:
